Epilogue
by Kodra
Summary: [Chapter 5 up] It was the End of the world, but now it passed. As things slowly calm down, is anyone truely unchanged by the experience? [Spoilers from The End: Part 3]
1. Prologue

Kodra here, bringing you my first Teen Titans Fanfiction ever. This fanfiction will be mostly a romance/drama fanfiction, but in keeping with the fact that these are Teen Titans, there's gonna be enough action to keep you on your toes.

Also, I know this is short, but this is mostly setting the scene for the chapters to come, and adding my character thoughts into it. I also had a bit of a feeling of incompletion, a bit rough, and if you get that feeling reading this, please put criticism in your review. I will NOT be offended. And on that note, anyone willing to pre-read my chapters before I publish them, please drop me an email:

kodra22 (at symbol) gmail (dot) com

Or an AOL instant message at SN: kodra22

Also, special thanks to Golden Sama for taking a look at my fic before I posted it, and helping me out with a few questions.

**Epilogue**

Prologue

Raven floated above the sea of magma, garbed in white as opposed to her traditional blue, white light flowing around her. Beneath her was her nemesis, Trigon the Terrible, her father, already defeated. She knew it, he knew it, and all that remained was for her to land the finishing blow. The light took form into that of a huge bird, which some would say appeared to be a legendary phoenix, but those below her knew it was a raven, a pure white raven. The light expanded, flowing like a wave over the entire world.

As the light moved across the earth, the putrescent lava turned back into pristine ocean. The scorched land became fertile once again, and where nothing but charred stumps once stood, there were trees again. Ruined wastelands become bustling metropolises again, and everyone who was turned to stone became alive again.

Everyone.

The Teen Titans stared up at the sky in awe as they felt Raven's powers wash over them. They were so entranced that they didn't even notice as a man make his hasty retreat. Slade had the opportunity while they were looking skyward to strike out with his new flaming weapon, but for some reason, he took their distraction as an opportunity to flee. Whether he felt that the Titans had been through enough torment that day, or he feared the wrath of Raven in her current form, or he simply didn't feel like ending his sadistic game of cat and mouse quite yet, no one will ever know. His twisted calculating mind was of a matter not even Robin could begin to fathom. Ironic, that in the brightest light that the darkest of men found refuge.

Not that any of the titans would've noticed if he strolled away in broad daylight at that point. Raven slowly descended from the sky, the white light fading from the sky. Cyborg had to admit, he'd been down before, but he couldn't think of any greater turning of the tides than what he'd just witnessed. For all intents and purposes, he was a dead man. It had taken every ounce of his energy, to survive that blast. He was one solid attack away from death, a feeling he'd never experienced before, and a feeling he hoped he'd never have to experience again

Beast Boy on the other hand was simply in shock. The past twenty four hours had been an absolute roller coaster of his emotions. From the time he watched Raven supposedly die, to the point where he could feel her presence with him, lovingly shielding him from the blast. Then he awoke and the world he knew was destroyed, and all he could feel was despair. Then he felt hope, as he saw the black raven, the symbol of his friend, lead him to his comrades. Then hopelessness as he watched the powers Raven had bestowed him with coursed harmlessly though the demons body. He felt a powerful wave of relief as he saw Raven once again alive. Even the news that her powers were gone only slightly brought him down from the fact that his close friend was still alive. It was that high that drove him to fight the demon, and that high was only replaced with fear when Trigon used his eyebeam to break his body against the ground. Fear not for his own death, but fear that came from knowing he'd failed her. Only as he felt his bones mend from Raven's power did the shock from realizing it was actually over hit him.

Starfire in her own right always knew things would work out. Robin had been so adamant, so sure that this would not be the end of the world, and his courage and bravery always affected her. It was how she could always get up and fight, endure the taunting her dark half and finally could face Trigon. It was because of him that she had the confidence to continue to fight.

If there was any titan who deserved the award for assisting Raven in her victory it was Robin. He never gave up hope throughout the entire ordeal, from start to finish. He would never admit it being the last day and even when things looked their darkest, he was ever confident the titans would pull through.

And then there was Raven, and all her mind could think of was the finality of it all. Her entire life she thought she would only live to see this day, never did she dare to dream that she would live to see the next. Now she had her entire life before her, and she had no idea what to do with it. She landed on the ground and looked to the one person who had driven her to victory and did the first thing that came to her mind. She ran and hugged Robin, and held onto him with the brightest smile she'd ever worn.

Pangs of envy coursed through Starfire and Beast Boy, almost like a punch in the gut as they watched the scene unfold before them. Neither of them would ever admit it, and neither of them would ever confront the two about it. Raven had just gone through the worst day of her life, been used to usher in the most horrific of evils, had somehow defeated that evil, and she had Robin to thank for it in large part. This was nothing more than a simple hug between two friends who'd scaled insurmountable odds, right? The faint tint of red on Raven's cheeks said differently.

Raven wore a calm smile on her face slowly releasing Robin from the embrace. Her entire life was ahead for her. The prophecy had been fulfilled, her destiny had come true, and even though it seemed impossible, everything turned out alright in the end. Trigon was gone, and her powers were restored, if anything more powerful than before. Well, perhaps not more powerful, but without Trigon's taint, she could better control them. Without her wretched father's influence, she thought, maybe even she could live a normal life, without fear of her emotions.

Unfortunately for Raven, she would have to learn that uncontrollable world destroying powers are not the only reason for one to guard their heart. It would be a lesson that could only be taught through experience.

**To Be Continued**

And that's all he wrote. Don't forget to review, and let me know what you feel is rough.


	2. Day at the Mall

AN: Another installment of Epilogue. Had a lot of fun writing this one. Special thanks to GoldenSama and IllegalDayNightSnappingIguana for helping me out. Thanks to DC for writing this wonderful comic, and for whoever produced the show. It's not me, I don't own any of this stuff.

Also, thanks to everyone who reviewed for me. One thing a lot of you asked for were couplings. I will not be posting those, due to the fact that this fanfic will not have very cut and dry couples. If you are truly curious about the couples there will be, you can email me, and I'll email you the response. Thanks again for all the support.

Anyone who wants to help me out with proofreading and such, I wouldn't mind having another. More help the merrier. Contact me at  
AIM SN: Kodra22

Email: Kodra22 (at symbol) gmail (dot) com

With out further delay, here's the chapter

**Epilogue**

Chapter 1: Day at the Mall

A week had passed since the fall of Trigon, and slowly things were moving back to normal. Robin spent much of his time in his room, trying to predict Slade's next move, or else he would disappear, presumably to follow up on his investigation.

Starfire enjoyed a relaxing week, spending much of her time with the others relaxing, watching TV with Cyborg and Beast Boy, and following Raven about, undergoing the "talk of girls", and surprisingly enough, finding Raven much more approachable.

Cyborg spent the days as he always did, working on the tower, playing his Gamestation, tuning up the vehicles, and grilling up something, be it pancakes, burgers, or steaks.

Beast Boy quickly fell back into his routine as well: Eating tofu, learning new tofu recipes, playing against Cyborg in Gamestation, and generally playing pranks on the rest of the team. However, it did not escape the notice of Cyborg and Starfire that their jovial green friend was not always around. He would disappear for hours at a time, and a full search of titans tower couldn't find him. He would always return though, and quickly dispelled any worries they had for him with his signature grin.

Raven had changed dramatically from the ordeal with her father. She seemed more relaxed than before, not quite as cold, though she still spoke with the same monotone voice, you could see her feelings play across her face. She didn't seem perpetually annoyed at the world, and much to the other titans surprise, they found her much more open to their activities. She was only seen meditating in the morning, rather than throughout the entire day, and it did not go unnoticed by Starfire just how the half-demon acted around Robin. Always a smile on her face as he passed by, always trying to distract him away from his hunt with a remark. Robin however didn't pay much attention to her advances, focusing himself on the task at hand.

It was about ten o'clock in the morning, and Cyborg was sitting down to a nice large helping of waffles when he spotted a flash of yellow and red make it's way down the hallway. He quickly placed his fork down and pressed a button on his arm. A nearby door could be heard shutting in the background. Robin poked his head around the corner and looked at Cyborg, speaking with an authoritative tone. "Cyborg, open the door!"

Cyborg took a bite of his breakfast before answering the Boy Wonder. He smirked lightly after he swallowed. "Why Robin? Where are ya off to in such a hurry?"

Robin growled at his friend, not feeling in the mood to play games with him. "There's a lead on Slade and I don't want it to go cold, now open the door!" He exclaimed impatiently.

Cyborg grinned mischievously as he spoke with a slick voice, "I'll open the door for you, but, first you're gonna have to promise me something."

Robin frowned. He didn't like the idea of being played with by Cyborg, but right now he didn't have time. He spoke venomously between his teeth. "And what would that

be?"

Cyborg leaned back in his chair. He had Robin right where he wanted him. "You can go off and look for Slade today, but tomorrow, we're all going to the beach, ya hear me? No investigating leads, no going over case files, no detective work. Got it?"

Robin was ready to jump at his friend. Didn't he know that he was just doing his duty? He couldn't afford to skip a day, but then again, he couldn't afford to lose this lead. Of course there was always the other reason he had been throwing himself so hard into the search for Slade, but at this point he didn't have time to worry about that. "Alright Cyborg, I'll play your little game, now open the door!"

Cyborg pressed the button on his arm again, the door sliding open for Robin. Cyborg went back to eating his waffles, with a grin on his face. A day off would be good for all of them, especially Robin. The boy simply put too much stress on himself for his own good. Starfire sleepily floated into the room, stretching her arms as she moved. "Cyborg, what was all the commotion for?" she asked as she sat down across from him at the table.

Cyborg smiled lightly, "I twisted Robin's arm into going to the beach with us tomorrow."

Starfire gasped in surprise before angrily glaring at Cyborg. "You attempted to harm Robin and break his arm merely so that he would accompany you to the beach?" She looked positively homicidal as she spoke, but the expression quickly changed to that of confusion as Cyborg burst out laughing.

"Nah Star, I didn't actually try and twist his arm, it's a figure of speech." Cyborg laughed as he spoke. Starfire however looked rather confused by the whole thing.

"A figure of speech?" She asked perplexed.

"Yeah, it's like when you call someone a Zlafian Gorblesplotch, you don't actually mean they're a Zlafian Gorblesplotch, you just mean that they're really clumsy. So when I say I twisted his arm, I didn't physically twist his arm, I just put him in a position where I could force him to do what I wanted, in this case, take a day off the Slade hunt." Cyborg explained. He found it much easier to explain earth customs by comparing it to the Tamaranian customs he learned about from Starfire, and apparently it had been successful as he saw a look of understanding cross Starfire's face.

"I see. So then what is it that you did to 'twist his arm'?" She asked curiously.

"He was running off to another one of his leads on Slade, and I overrode the tower's systems to lock the door out on him. Told him I wouldn't open it up unless he went to the beach with us." Cyborg explained with pride. It wasn't every day that someone could say they put one over on Robin. Starfire squealed with joy.

"So tomorrow we will all be going to the beach together? Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed.

At that moment Raven slowly made her way into the kitchen, a neutral expression on her face as she rummaged through the cabinets for some tea. She spoke in her normal detached voice. "What's going on exactly?"

Starfire beamed brightly as she spoke "Friend Cyborg has managed to twist the arm of Robin into going to the beach tomorrow."

Raven continued looking for her tea, thinking to herself. She used to dislike the beach, feeling that there was too many people, and too much noise for herself to meditate. The prospect of lying out in the sun wasn't thrilling either, since her complexion didn't change much from tanning. However, the thought of spending a day with Robin did appeal to her. Of course, their was always the issue of what to wear. She'd never really seen the point in getting a swimsuit, as most of the aquatic outings had been events she'd passed on before. Cyborg looked over to her with a raised eyebrow, breaking the silence. "So, ya gonna come or not Raven?"

"I've nothing to wear to the beach." She spoke calmly as she began to prepare her tea.

Starfire quickly exclaimed "That is very well because I am in need of a new suit of swimming as well. Together we can go shopping today!"

Normally Raven would've groaned or tried to worm her way out of shopping with Starfire, but today she actually had something she needed to get, and she could use Starfire's help deciding what looked good on her. "Alright Starfire, just let me finish my tea, and then we can head out." Raven said in her monotone voice.

Starfire squealed, loving the opportunity to go shopping, while Cyborg sat wide eyed. Raven had never simply agreed to go shopping, especially without following it up with some sort of sarcastic remark. He spoke curiously "You alright Raven? You never give in to shopping without a struggle? What's the deal?"

Raven's eye twitched lightly. "I need a swimsuit to wear tomorrow, therefore I need to go to the shopping mall." She took a sip of her herbal tea.

Cyborg gaped again. "Nothing against ya Raven, but usually you don't go for the whole outing thing. What's up?"

Raven's eye twitched again. "Listen Cyborg, I just went through a pretty miserable experience, and it wasn't until what I perceived as the end of the world that I took the time to spend with you guys. I don't plan to make that mistake again. With my father gone, I don't need to worry about controlling his influence, and hence, I don't need to spend as much time in meditation. I would appreciate it if you got off of my case." She ended the conversation venomously. She turned away from them, sipping her tea, trying to get the slight tinge of pink away from her cheeks, not wanting them to suspect her having an ulterior motive. She continued to sip at her tea, moving out of the room. "I'll be in my room Starfire, I'll come by when I'm ready."

Cyborg blinked at her outburst, watching her float out of the room. He glanced over to his Tamaranian friend who was standing there wide eyed as well. "You buying any of that?"

Starfire blinked at him in confusion. "Am I purchasing what?"

Cyborg sighed, "Another figure of speech Starfire, means do you believe what she is saying?"

Starfire frowned lightly. "I am not sure. Her explanation seems reasonable, but I cannot be sure if it should be 'bought' or not."

Cyborg nodded slowly, "Well you keep an eye on her while shopping. If ya figure anything out, I'd love to know."

"Figure what out?" Beast boy asked as he walked into the room.

Cyborg looked up from his now cold waffles. "BB! Where have you been?"

Beast Boy shrugged off the question and grinned brightly. "Dude, I was just out taking a walk y'know. Enjoying the fresh air and all. Why something important going down?"

Cyborg shook his head. "Nothing too important. Managed to convince Mr. Obsessive to take a day off tomorrow so we can all go to the beach."

Starfire narrowed her eyes, and quickly asserted. "Robin is not obsessive, he is merely worried about the Slade. Who could know what trouble that man could be plotting?"

Cyborg and Beast Boy both rolled their eyes. Of course Starfire would stick up for Robin, so they chose not to continue that argument. "Anyways, as I was saying the really weird thing about it is that Raven's actually going too, and she's willingly going shopping with Starfire. Talk about weird huh?"

Beast Boy shrugged lightly. He knew exactly why Raven was so excited about the beach, but he didn't feel in the mood to reveal why yet. Doing so would only create more problems for Raven, and he just couldn't bring himself to do that to her, no matter how he felt about the overall subject. He went to the refrigerator and opened the vegetable crisper, pulling out some baby carrots and a bottle of ranch. "I guess that's pretty strange alright. Anything else going on today?"

Cyborg smirked lightly "Well let's see, I gotta tune up the T-Car, check the Tower's securities, oh and utterly destroy you in Mecha Ninja 4!"

Beast Boy laughed as he took a bite of a carrot. "As if dude. Today you will know the power of the real Mecha Ninja master, and when you do it will be the most humbling experience of your life."

Cyborg grinned. "Big words grass stain. Prepare to be destroyed."

The two boys continued to playfully argue back and forth about who was going to beat who in Mecha Ninja. Starfire sat and thought about what Cyborg had said. Could Raven be lying about her reason to go to the beach? Why would she? Her story seemed to make sense, but there was something about the way she said it that caused her and Cyborg to become suspicious. Her thoughts were interrupted as Raven walked into the room. She was clad in her usual outfit, and stood there with her arms across her chest. "Are you ready Starfire?"

Starfire looked up at her and smiled. "I most certainly am! Come Raven, let us go!" She grabbed a hold of Raven and quickly made her way out the Tower.

_(At the mall)_

Raven's forehead was fraught with sweat as she passed through the mall. All of the people made her only a bit nervous and self conscious. She could feel their stares on her as she moved by. Perhaps wearing her cloak and leotard to the mall hadn't been the best idea. Of course, unknown by Raven was the fact that a lot of the stares were falling on her friend instead. A wolf whistle is heard from behind them, followed by an arrogant voice. "Hey babes, why don't you come on over here. Me and my buddy gonna show you a reeeaaal good time." The two girls turned to see two teen boys wearing smug grins.

Raven frowned with disgust at them, where as Starfire simply looked confused at their statement. "Sorry, we'll pass." Raven said harshly.

The two boys laughed to each other. The other one spoke up. "Ice queen eh? That's alright babe, your friend there looks like she's hot to trot. She'll be enough for both of us."

Starfire blushed brightly. She wasn't exactly sure what they were saying, but their tone bothered her. "Friend Raven, what do they mean?" She asked quizzically.

Raven growled, an angry scowl across her face. "Let's just say they've got plans that you don't want to be a part of Star, and if they're smart, they'll leave us alone before they cross the line."

The first boy walked up to Starfire running his hand up along the outside of her leg and resting it on her midriff. "So where's this line?"

Starfire let out a gasp as she felt his hand so boldly travel across her skin. Her eyes turned green with rage. She reached and gripped his hand, pulling it away from her stomach. She applied pressure to his wrist as he fell down to his knees, shouting out in pain as she tightened her grip. Raven smirked lightly as she spoke, "I believe you just crossed it. Let him go Starfire. Not worth our time." Raven grabbed her friend by the hand and quickly lead her away from the scene, the boy still nursing his wrist.

They made their way into the "Fun in the Sun" store, as Starfire squealed, quickly forgetting the two boys they encountered earlier, distracted by all the shopping. Raven began to browse through the swimsuits. After a few minutes she sighed in exasperation. Most of the swimsuits were so bright, and colorful, and designed to be worn by someone who didn't have gray skin. Starfire interrupted her thought as she held two suits in her hand. "Here Raven, I think this one would look most wonderful on you." She held out a all white two piece.

Raven took it and looked at it curiously. She held it against her skin and shrugged. It didn't look completely out of place like the others had. She smiled lightly and nodded her head to Starfire. "Thanks Star. I'm gonna go try this on." She made her way to the changing rooms. She passed through the door, locking it after closing it. She blushed lightly as she disrobed. Even though she knew nobody could see her through the door, the angled slits weren't giving her any piece of mind. She quickly donned the bathing suit. She turned to the mirrors behind her and her blush deepened. Her arm moved up and instinctively crossed her breasts. The suit certainly didn't leave much to the imagination, but if she wanted to turn his head, this certainly would do it. She bit her lower lip as she thought about the prospect of wearing this in public. She turned away from the mirrors and cautiously peeked her head out the door. "Starfire?"

"I will be with you soon Raven, I am trying on the suit of swimming." Starfire spoke from the next stall over. Raven peered back and forth, making sure there'd be no chance any would see her. She walked out of her stall, wondering to herself how Starfire managed to wear her normal outfit all the time without feeling self conscious. The door next to her opened, and out stepped her friend, clad in a yellow bikini. Raven looked away from her. "Oh Raven, you look glorious!"

Raven had only gotten a glimpse of Starfire, but it was enough to let her know this was a foolish idea. Trying to measure up against Starfire's naturally golden skin with her pale gray tone wasn't going to work, and it certainly wasn't worth it humiliating herself by wearing this suit. "Yeah...I think I'm going to pick out a different suit. I feel a bit too...exposed for my tastes." She moved back into the changing room and came out after a few minutes again clad in her black leotard and cloak. Starfire smiled brightly as Raven spoke to her. "I'd get the suit you're wearing. It looks good on you."

"Oh thank you Raven! Now, we must find a suit for you to wear." Starfire exclaimed. Raven frowned lightly, not sure this whole idea of going to the beach was a good one.

"I dunno Star, I'm beginning to have second thoughts about this whole trip. I'll see if there's anything I'd wear, otherwise I might just sit back and watch." She moved back into the shopping area, looking around half-heartedly. Her search for a bathing suit lead her to the back of the store where she found a rack of one pieces. She found one in all black, and noted that it looked similar to her leotard, only without any sleeves. She pulled it off the rack and turned it around. Unlike her leotard there was no back to it, and the neck line was lower, but not to the point where her cleavage was being exposed. She moved back to the changing rooms where Starfire was trying on another suit. She quickly floated into her stall, quickly changing into the black swimsuit. She looks at herself in the mirror, smiling lightly to herself. The suit looked good on her. The dark color seemed to draw attention away from her abnormal gray skin as he leotard did. With her cloak on you could barely tell the difference between the two. The suit showed off a bit more of her legs, the seam coming up to her hips. The back was very low, coming up midway on her lower back. There were some decorative strings running criss cross along her back. Much to pleasure, she noticed how the suit formed along with her curves, giving an enticing view of her figure. _"Hopefully this would entice Robin into paying a bit more attention to me" _she thought to herself. She frowned as the thought passed through her mind. Was this even a good idea? She knew Starfire had feelings for Robin. Was she willing to compete with Starfire for his affections? Her mind turned to all the times he'd held her in his arms, comforting her, speaking soft words to her to calm her. Throughout the entire ordeal he was the one to get close to her, to comfort her. Through the darkest of days her love for him had been tempered as he carried her. He was her strength when she had lost it all. She nodded to herself. He was worth it. He was worth so much to her than she could fathom. She smiled lightly as she looked herself over once again.

Meanwhile Starfire sitting in her changing room thinking along the same lines as Raven had been. She had harbored feelings for the Boy Wonder for a long time, but even after all this time, he was still a mystery to her. Occasionally he would give her a glimpse of a gentler side of him, but just when she had thought he would finally open up, he became even more distant than before. Now the situation was becoming even more complex. She had seen the way that Raven had watched Robin, blushing lightly when he would talk to her. Now with her eagerness in going with them to the beach, and her desire to look good, she was becoming more and more convinced that Raven was pining for Robin as well.

Tamarian powers are fueled by the emotions of passion, and so the ideals of love and anger are especially prevalent in Tamarian culture. Therefore it is quite common to have very violent disputes over lovers and mates. Starfire sat in the dressing room, a sad look on her face as she contemplated the depth of her love for Robin. How far was she willing to go to see that she became his love? It only took a few minutes for her to admit that she couldn't imagine herself with anyone but him, and as much as it pained her, she was willing to fight Raven tooth and nail if it came to it. She changed back into her normal clothes with a sad expression on her face. She moved out of the room, putting a smile on her face. _"Hopefully I am merely over reacting to this." _When she came out she saw Raven waiting for her with a look of pride on her face. Starfire blinked as she looked over Raven's selection.

"What do you think Star?" Raven asked, twirling about to let Starfire get a good look at the suit. Starfire smiled sadly.

"It is most wonderful on you Raven." Starfire knew just from the look on Raven's face, Robin's heart was not going to be easily won. She only hoped that she would have the wisdom to know what to do when the time came to fight for it.

**To Be Continued**

Thanks for reading. Don't forget to review, and be sure to tell me anything you didn't like about the fic. Always welcome criticism.


	3. Day at the Beach

AN: New chapter for anyone interested. Special thanks to Lelila, Golden-Sama and Winter. If you notice that the grammar of the first scene is pristine, it's because Lelila was kind enough to fix my slop.

Also, anyone who's a big Justice League Unlimited fan, I could use some background information on some of the characters.

As always, I can be contacted at

Email: kodra22 (at symbol) gmail (dot) com

AIM: kodra22

That said, on with the show

Edited at 5:26 08/18/05. Because Lelila rocks and showed me some more typos. Also interesting to note, that using the HTML tag markers (sideways carrot looking things) in a .doc can do interesting things apparently, regardless of whether they're actual HTML tags or not

**Epilogue**

Chapter 2: Day at the Beach

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP_

The buzzing of an alarm clock echoed throughout the dark room, causing the form beneath the sheets to groan slightly. Raven turned over to face the alarm, noting the time. She groaned again, and reached out with a hand to hit the snooze button. She rolled back over, her cheeks reddening as her mind turned back to the dream that was so rudely interrupted by her alarm.

It was an odd experience for Raven, because up until a week ago, she'd never had the pleasure of a pleasant dream. They'd all been meetings with her father, filled with reminders of the dark prophecy and apocalyptic visions. This dream had been pleasant: visions of her and Robin's bodies entwined with each other danced through her head. She rested her head back onto her pillow and curled up in the sheets, wondering what it would feel like to be held like that, to be kissed like that. She smiled as she closed her eyes again, replaying the dream in her mind.

_BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP_

Raven sighed to herself, ten minutes seemed like ten seconds to her, but she knew she had to get up. She needed to shower, have breakfast, meditate and then get ready for the Titans' excursion to the beach. She climbed out of bed and slowly floated towards the bathroom. On the way she removed her cloak and leotard she'd been wearing and placed them into the clothes hamper to be washed later. She floated into the bathroom adjoined to her room, and made her way into the shower.

Five minutes later Raven emerged from the bathroom, a towel wrapped around her body. She instinctively went to her closet and pulled out her traditional cloak and leotard when she remembered that today wasn't just any other day. She looked over at the chair where her swimsuit was carefully laid out. She set her leotard back into her closet and made her way over to her chair. She let her towel fall around her feet as she quickly slipped into the suit. She stepped back to get a better view of herself in the mirror. She quickly wrapped the cloak around her back and snapped the clasp at the neck together. With her arms tucked beneath the cloak it was nearly impossible to notice anything different than her normal outfit. Satisfied that wearing the suit in public wouldn't bring too much embarrassment, Raven floated out of her room. She turned her head to the side, and noticed her green skinned friend walking down the hall. What was odd was that it was 6:40 in the morning. She expected to be the first one up, since she needed some time for meditation, but it looked like Beast Boy had already been up as well. "Beast Boy." She spoke in her monotone voice getting his attention. "What are you doing up this early?"

Beast Boy froze. He'd been getting up this early for the past week, and had managed to avoid any questions about it. He should have figured that Raven would be up early today, considering they'd be leaving at 8:00, but the thought had simply slipped his mind. He turned around slowly, a granola bar in his hand. He smiled nervously. "H-hey there Raven. Whatcha up to?"

Raven raised an eyebrow suspiciously. "I'm up early to meditate, like I always do in the morning. You dodged my question. What are _you _doing up so early?"

Beast Boy had barely heard a word she'd said though. His mind was still trying to process what he was seeing. While admittedly the suit wasn't revealing, the way it clung to her body was enough to cause inappropriate images to invade the shifter's mind. He turned his face away from her, trying to hide his blush. "Uhh...What'd you say?"

Raven's eye twitched. Beast Boy was an airhead, but normally he wasn't this dense. "For the third time. What. Are. You. Doing. Up. This. Early? Do I need to spell it out for you?" she said without emotion.

Beast Boy shrunk a bit. There was a burning sensation within his chest, and that was enough to tell him that he needed to answer her question. "Ummm...I'm headed out for a walk?" He said with an uneven tone.

Raven gave him a curious look. He wasn't being truthful with her, but she honestly could care less. "Whatever. I'm heading to the roof to meditate. Try to not interrupt me," she said as she floated past him, moving up the stairs towards the roof, leaving Beast Boy in the hallway.

The green teen sighed, walking off with slumped shoulders towards the front door. "A walk? Sounds like fun Beast Boy, mind if I tag along? Sure Raven, maybe when we get back we can have some tofu bacon. Sounds like a great time Beast Boy." Beast Boy said as he walked through the main entrance. He sighed again. She barely even recognized him. Still his mind wandered back to the image of Raven in her swimsuit. Again, his cheeks became a rosy red hue. "Dude, I just need to stop thinking about it, or else this is gonna be a very long day." He sighed. "Besides, she's not doing it for my benefit." He admitted to himself, before taking the form of a falcon and flying off towards the forest.

He landed in a clearing in the forest. The ground was covered with a variety of footprints, all of different species. Beast Boy shifted back into his human form, and sat down on the ground. He breathed out a sigh, and shook his head. "Well, I guess I should do some warm ups." He closed his eyes, and shifted into a porcupine. Then from a porcupine into a Gorilla. Then into a mouse, followed quickly an elephant. From the huge elephant he formed himself into a minuscule flea and then to the gargantuan Tyrannosaurus Rex form he uses so much. This routine continued for a few minutes, alternating between an insect to a dinosaur, when he finally formed into his human form, breathing lightly in through his nose. He opened his eyes for a moment focusing on the ground. He closed his eyes again and concentrated. _"Alright Beast Boy, time for a more extensive training."_ He languidly drew himself up onto his two feet. His eyes opened slowly as he began to walk forward with slow decisive steps. As he did, he began to swiftly shift his form. From an ant, to a cheetah, to a bird, to a bear. He maintained forward motion every step of the way, with every transformation, he began to move faster, and shift quicker. He began to weave between the trees, moving quicker and quicker, his form never staying the same long enough to appear like anything. To Beast Boy, it felt like he'd been working out for an hour, when in fact it'd only been a few minutes. He leaned up against a tree and began to breathe in heavily. He almost wished he could skip the day at the beach now. He'd been going at it for a week straight and he was still in no condition to use his training in a real situation. Not to mention he wouldn't have to be constantly reminded of her.

He heard a soft clapping cut through the ambiance. Had she followed him? Had she watched him as he trained? He turned around and saw a figure leaning against a tree, but not the figure he'd been expecting. Or the figure he'd been hoping to see. It was Robin leaning against the tree, a smile on his face. "So that's why you've been sneaking away from the tower at the early hours of the morning. Training. I got to say Beast Boy, I'm impressed." The masked leader offered.

Beast Boy took his hands off of the tree he'd been leaning on and doubled over, his palms over his knees, still gasping for breath. "Yeah well, not like it's very useful. Takes all my concentration just to shift while moving, and I can't keep it up for very long." Beast Boy admitted. "Need to get a lot better if I'm ever going to stand a chance."

Robin's eyebrow raised in curiosity. "Stand a chance at what? Beast Boy, you're every bit as good a fighter as anyone else in the Titans." Robin said.

Beast Boy shook his head. "How many lives do we have Robin? I can't count the number of times we ALL should have died, only to make it out thanks to something completely out of our control. Trigon _should _have killed us, so should have Terra. We got lucky both of those times. One of these days our luck is going to run out, and if we're not better than the guy we're fighting, someone's going to die. We have to be at our peak, in case we have to fight another Trigon, and we have to fight him ourselves."

Robin gritted his teeth. "We have to rely on each other, we have to rely on our friends to pull through."

"Dude, are you telling me that you knew that Raven would suddenly revert back to a teen and blast her father into oblivion?" Beast Boy asked rhetorically.

"I didn't know what would happen, but I never doubted for a second that Raven would come through somehow," Robin replied venomously.

Beast Boy sighed lightly. "I thought we were dead Robin. I was powerless to do anything. As usual I had to rely on you and Raven to take care of things. I don't want to keep doing that. I want to be able to hold my own for once," Beast Boy admitted.

Robin looked at him with a curious expression. Something about his tone tipped him off. "There's more to it than that Beast Boy. What are you hiding?"

Beast Boy turned and looked at him with a dangerous expression. "Dude, Robin, you have your secrets. I have mine. I don't go butting into your life, I don't want you to

butt into mine." Beast Boy had no desire to talk about the other thing bothering him.

Robin frowned at the statement. "I've had secrets in the past, and they've gotten the team into a world of trouble. I'd rather not have you go through what I went through."

Beast Boy sighed and looked away. He spoke in a sad tone of voice. "Trust me Robin, there's nothing that could come from my secrets. Nothing at all." It burned him up to admit it, but it was true. Raven had eyes for Robin, and Robin only. Nothing he could do would change that. He just hoped that the smug son of a bitch would treat her as well as he would've treated her.

Robin was thoroughly confused. He had no idea what Beast Boy was talking about, but at this point, it didn't seem like a point to press. "Okay Beast Boy, I won't press. We're leaving for the beach in about an hour. Come on, let's head back to the Tower, we can get ready there."

Beast Boy shook his head. "Go on without me. There's one more thing I'd like to try, and as much as I love an audience, I'd like some time alone."

Robin blinked in surprise. Raven was becoming easier to read and Beast Boy was acting very withdrawn. It seemed things were completely upside down. "Okay Beast Boy. I'll see you back at the Tower." Robin moved away from the clearing, heading back to Titans Tower. Once Beast Boy was satisfied that he was alone, he sat down on the grassy floor and crossed his legs. He closed his eyes and began to concentrate, a weak black aura emanating from his body.

_(8:00 AM, Titans Tower Garage)_

"Wonder where everyone is?" Cyborg said to himself as he loaded up the trunk of the T-Car. They were supposed to leave at eight o'clock, but so far the only person he'd seen was Starfire; everyone else was out and about. He assumed Raven was up on the roof in meditation. Robin was probably trying to sneak in a few more leads before the day off, and Beast Boy was off on one of his walks. That was what bothered Cyborg the most. Beast Boy had changed a lot since the fight with Trigon, he felt like he hardly knew the jovial shapeshifter anymore. He resolved to sit down and have a long talk with him when he got home. He didn't like the idea of being left out of his best friend's life like this. His thoughts were interrupted as Starfire made her way into the garage. She wore a pair khaki shorts and a white tee shirt over her bikini. Her normal outfit had been too uncomfortable to wear with the bathing suit, but now she felt odd covered up as she was. Normally she didn't have anything covering her arms or midriff. It was uncomfortable to her; she fidgeted with it as she walked towards the T-Car.

"Friend Cyborg, are you prepared for the day at the beach today?" She asked looking around. Cyborg grinned widely at her.

"You better believe I am! You're gonna love sand volleyball Star! Heckuva lot more fun than playing on the top of the tower." Cyborg shut the trunk and began to look around. "Everyone seems to be running late. So…didya get any dirt on Raven?"

Starfire looked horrified at the comment. "I most certainly did not get any soil on Raven. For what reason would you ask that?"

Cyborg chuckled as he rolled his eyes. "No no, it means, did you figure out anything about why Raven was acting so odd yesterday. 'Nother figure of speech."

Starfire's lips formed an 'O' indicating she understood. She chewed on her lower lip lightly, unsure of what to say. She floated over hesitantly to Cyborg, making sure that no one was around to hear her. She spoke softly. "I think I have found out what has been affecting Raven. I believe she is infatuated with someone."

Cyborg froze at those words. His eyes widened as his mind began to comprehend what she'd said. He couldn't help but admit, from what he'd seen, it all made sense. "Who?" was all he could manage to get out.

She looked away, that was the question that had kept her up late the previous night. "I..." She hesitated. Cyborg raised his eyes in anticipation. "I think she is infatuated with our friend Robin."

Cyborg sat down on the ground and leaned up against the T-Car. He ran his metallic hand over his bald scalp. Starfire had talked to him about her feelings for Robin, so he knew that she wasn't taking this well. He let out a sigh as he looked up to her. "How're you feeling about the whole thing Star?"

"My feelings concerning Robin have not changed. Where I am from, it is not uncommon for two people to desire the same person for their mate. They must make their intentions known to the person, and wait for them to decide who they want," Starfire explained slowly.

Cyborg rolled his eyes. He had learned about Tamaranian culture from her. "Lemme guess. In the meantime both try to prove that they're better than each other, generally in different forms of competition." Starfire nodded slowly as she sat down beside Cyborg.

"Though I do not wish to fight my friend Raven, I can not deny my feelings. It is something I feel is worth fighting for," she said in a very sad tone. She felt Cyborg's cold metallic hand on her shoulder.

"If you need someone to talk to Star, I'm always here for you. Just want to remind you of that." Starfire wrapped her arms around her metallic friend, and gave him one of her powerful hugs.

"Thank you friend Cyborg. You are a most trustworthy friend." Cyborg smiled lightly. He wrapped his arms around her back, completing the hug. After a minute Cyborg lifted to her feet and gave her one of his brilliant smiles, lifting her spirits.

"Don't worry Star, things are going to work out. Just gotta keep doing what you feel is right. I got your back." Cyborg gave her a thumbs up.

She chuckled lightly and sniffed back the tears that were forming in her eyes. "Thank you Cyborg." The conversation was cut off as they heard footsteps hurriedly moving towards the garage's entrance. Starfire and Cyborg watched the door as Robin rushed in.

"Sorry I'm late. Was hoping to be here by eight, but I got hung up," Robin explained as he rushed into the room. He slowed his pace as he looked around the room. "Uh...where is everyone?"

"Good question man, I haven't seen either of them today. I figure Raven's up on the roof meditating, and Beast Boy's off who knows where. Figure best thing to do is to wait," Cyborg explained.

Robin nodded in agreement before sitting down next to Starfire. Cyborg looked at the two and smiled lightly. "Oh man, almost forgot the Frisbee. You two wait for the others, I'll be right back," Cyborg said with a goofy grin on his face. He stood up from the car and quickly made his way out of the room, leaving Starfire and Robin alone. Starfire blushed lightly as she realized Cyborg's ulterior motive. She inched closer to Robin, but if the Boy Wonder noticed, he certainly didn't show it.

She cleared her throat lightly, which caused Robin to turn his head and stare directly into her eyes. She blushed lightly, suddenly unsure of what to say. "Friend Robin, I was hoping to talk to you concerning something important."

Robin closed his eyes for a second as he took in a deep breath. He'd hoped he could put this off for longer, but it seemed like reality was bearing down on him hard. He released the breath lightly before nodding. "What do you want to talk about Star?"

Before she could say anything, she was interrupted as Raven floated into the room. She wore her traditional indifferent expression, and spoke in her monotone voice. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything," Raven said, eying the two titans.

Starfire scooted away from Robin slightly. She definitely did not want to have this conversation in front of Raven. "No Raven, you have interrupted nothing." Robin smiled lightly as Raven continued to walk forward. It seemed that he had dodged the bullet again.

"Good morning Raven. Ready for the day at the beach?" Robin asked.

Raven smiled lightly, floating closer towards him and sitting down on his other side. Robin gulped lightly. He didn't exactly like the feeling of being between the two girls. "I'm actually looking forward to it. It should be a beautiful day."

Robin looked from side to side, both girls gazing at him. He let out a sigh and leaned his back against the T-Car. This was going to be a very long day.

_(9:00 Jump City Beach)_

The Titans had found themselves a quiet section of the beach to relax on. Cyborg was busy getting the volleyball net set up while the rest of them were getting changed into their bathing suits and applying sunscreen. All of them were already wearing their swimsuits, so all they had to do was strip off their outer clothing. Starfire had managed to catch Robin's gaze as she placed her tee shirt and shorts aside. A sly grin crossed her face as she pulled out a brown bottle of oil. Robin couldn't avert his gaze as she began to rub the oil into her already golden skin, giving it a lovely sheen. As a Tamaranian, she didn't have to worry about the solar energy harming her skin since her body used the energy to grant her powers. Even Cyborg stood a bit slack jawed as his eyes surveyed the beautiful alien before him.

Beast Boy's eyes were taking in short glimpses of Raven in her suit. It took every ounce of willpower to not stand slack jawed in her presence. The suit clung to her like a second skin, showing off her feminine features in a way he'd never seen before. She didn't seem to mind that Robin wasn't paying attention to her, as she quietly applied sunscreen lotion to her arms, legs and face, giving them a similar oily shine. She had a small smirk on her face as she turned to Robin. Her voice had more life to it then normal as she spoke. "Robin, would you mind getting my back?" She held out the bottle to him.

Robin decided that at this point, it was probably best to play along with the two girls. He didn't want to insult either of them by snubbing them, but he didn't want them to get the idea that he was overly interested in either girl. He nodded slowly as he walked towards her, taking the bottle from her. "Sure thing Raven, turn around." He began to squeeze out some of the white liquid into his hand as he spoke. When she turned around though, a loud squirt could be heard as his hand tensed around the bottle. The back of the suit came just up to the start of her lower back, with some black straps criss-crossing the two sides of the suit. He hesitantly began to dip his one hand into the other, coating his fingers with sunscreen lotion. Her skin was soft to touch, as he quickly applied the lotion over her back. Raven managed to keep a straight face throughout the affair, but her heart was racing. The touch of his fingers on her back sent thrills through her spine.

When he finished rubbing the lotion in, Raven turned around and reached for the bottle. "Need me to do yours?" she asked in her dry tone. Robin suddenly wished that he'd spent a little less time tracking Slade and a little more time dealing with the internal issue that was quickly evolving. For now he was just trying to keep them happy long enough to figure out what he wanted to do, but he knew every action he did to one fueled the rivalry that was forming. His thoughts were interrupted as he felt the light touch of Raven's fingers against his back, applying the cold lotion. Her fingers teased his flesh with light short strokes, followed by a deep massage as she rubbed the lotion in. Robin couldn't deny the facts: both girls wanted him, neither girl seemed to be relenting, both of them were equally attractive and he had absolutely no idea what he felt about either of them beyond their friendship.

He realized that Raven's hands had stopped rubbing. He turned around and flashed a smile to her. "Thanks Raven."

Starfire and Beast Boy had been unloading items from the back of the T-Car, but they had both caught the exchange between Raven and Robin. Starfire chose to look away, and not give Raven the satisfaction of being jealous. She knew that Raven had been the one to make the move, not Robin. Beast Boy simply gazed longingly at the couple. He let out a quiet sigh, as he set the cooler down near the volleyball court. The sign of despair did not pass Cyborg's notice. He frowned lightly, as his gaze passed over the entire scene. He got a feeling there was even more to the story that he didn't know. He resolved to get to the bottom of all this drama, but it'd have to wait until later. Right now, this was his vacation. He grabbed the volleyball and tossed it into the air. "Alright now, who's up for some beach volleyball?"

The rest of titans quickly agreed. After a short argument, the teams were decided. It would be Beast Boy and Cyborg against Raven, Robin and Starfire. Raven pointed out the fact that she'd never played the game before, but Cyborg still insisted that there be no use of flight or his extendable hands, in the interest of fairness. The ground rules set, the game went underway. After about an hour of play, both teams had won one game. The score of the third game was 14-13 in favor of Robin's team, and they had the ball. It was Starfire's turn to serve, as Robin gazed back from the front and gave her a reassuring smile. Robin's eyes became transfixed on her as she stretched her body to serve the ball. He had to admit to himself, becoming the boyfriend of Starfire would certainly not be the worst thing that had ever happened to him. His gaze was interrupted as he saw the ball whiz past his head and bounce across the ground. In his daydream, he'd lost focus on the goal. His eyes turned to the ball as he moved towards it to deliver to the other side, but Raven had beaten him to it, leaving her back to him. Every time she turned her back to him he felt a bit warmer inside. As she bent over to pickup the ball, she slightly raised herself up, giving him a good view of her hindquarters. She quickly stood back up and turned around, a smirk crossed her lips when she saw him staring at her. She gave him a quick wink before tossing the ball to the other side. _"Of course, being involved romantically with Raven wouldn't be hellish either,"_ Robin thought to himself. _"What will be hellish is having them both fighting over me."_

Cyborg was about to serve the ball when his arm began to beep. He brought his arm down in front of him and clicked the button. "Yo Bee, what's up?"

A crash was heard in the background as the heroine spoke. "Sorry Sparky, but you're gonna hate me. We need some help. Cinderblock and Overload are attacking the city, which we should have under control, but we just got word that the Hive Five are attacking the Bank up on the north end."

Cyborg let out a sigh. "No problem Bee, we're on it. Be careful with block brains and sparkster."

Bumblebee smiled as she spoke. "Don't worry Sparky, we know what we're doing. You be careful with the Hive. They're no slouches."

Cyborg nodded as the transmission died, and looked over to Robin who was already getting dressed into his costume. "Guess hoping for one day was too much."

Robin nodded as he pulled his pants up under his towel which was wrapped around his waist. He pulled the towel off of him as he quickly buckled his utility belt. He glanced over to the rest of his team who were already dress for a fight. "I'm afraid so. Titans, GO!"

_To be continued_

Review Replies:

I decided to start doing Review Replies. If I find out that these are in fact against guidelines (I've done some digging and found nothing against them) or am asked by an admin to remove them, I will.

Raven42431: Thank you much for your support lassie.

Chiclet2021: Well, I try to make all the characters more reasonable. I hope you continue to enjoy the story, and I hope this chapter gave you a bit of insight into Beast Boy.

Kageru: It's not quite a triangle. More like…A kite…or the little dipper. Trust me, it'll get more interesting soon. But thanks for the support

Lelila: Yes. Me and the English Language aren't exactly the best of friends. Thanks again for looking over the work.

AnnFaithDarknessGoddess: My personal opinion as a guy, is that a one piece can be just as sexy if not sexier than a bikini. I thought it would look better on Raven anyways.

GoldenSama: Thanks for the review, and for all the support.

PhantomMoon: I hope this chapter gave you a bit more insight into what's been going on with BB. Hope it gave you a few more questions too.

All of you who've been waiting for the Action/Adventure in this fic, next chapter is for you. Hive Five vs Teen Titans. Time for a good old four colors street brawl.


	4. Heated Moments

Author's Note: Sorry for such an extended period between updates. I've been pretty busy since school just started up. Which means that I've been getting slammed at work as well as well. I've come to despise Norton Internet Securities and McAfee Security Center in these past two weeks.

Again, massive thanks to Lelila. I'm posting this a bit prematurely, so it will likely get updated after she proof reads the last part. If you notice the bad grammar in the second half, that's because she hasn't helped me polish it up.

Also, if you haven't read Falling by Lelila, and don't mind Robin/Starfire fictions, go check it out. Lelila's a far better author than me.

Anyways, onto the chapter.

**Chapter 3: Heated Moments**

"TITANS! GO!"

The famous battle cry of the Titans rang through the air. The five teenaged super heroes stood outside the bank, each lowered into their fighting stance. Cyborg drew his right arm up and held it steady with his left. He tilted his head to the side, helping him line up his shot. Beast Boy morphed into a hummingbird, resting on a tree limb. Raven drew her hood over her eyes and covered herself with her cloak. She floated inches above the ground and focused on her powers. Starfire hovered above them all, her eyes and fists glowing with a brilliant green light as she gritted her teeth. Robin stayed at the front of the group, holding his staff close to his chest, prepared to defend against whatever happened.

The doors to the banks were ripped from their hinges and blasted forward. Robin leapt from the ground and landed on the flying door long enough to bound through the dust and debris. _"Five shadows, one large, one small, one stout, one skinny, one feminine. Take down Mammoth first, make things easier later." _His mind raced as he soared through the air. He let his weapon slide up in his hands, holding it primarily on one end, much like a bat, only with his hands spread apart. He swung the staff back, putting all his strength behind the swing. Unfortunately for Robin, he didn't notice the pink glow surrounding his bo staff. As he swung forward the staff slipped from his hand spinning off into the corner of the bank, leaving him defenseless against Mammoth's mighty punch.

Robin's senses screamed at him as pain coursed through his body. As his shoulder scraped roughly against the ground he twisted his body, uprighting himself as he slid backwards. Robin used momentum to his advantage as he leapt back against the wall.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw a tiger pounce against Mammoth. He sprung from the wall and flipped over the group of villains, throwing several explosive pellets at the group. He watched as the four villains scattered from the explosion. He flipped again, landing on his feet and sliding back. He regained his footing and drew his two batons. Private Hive rolled away from the explosions and hopped up to his feet, holding his shield defensively between himself and Robin. "Private Hive reporting for duty! It's my objective to cause havoc and destroy any who would get in the way, and Bird Boy, that means you."

Robin smirked as he twirled the batons in his hands. He pulled his right hand back, ready to strike, while his left hand stayed protectively in front of his body. "Bring it Hive."

_(Meanwhile)_

Cyborg shot forth a stream of sonic energy from his cannon, but his pink haired target easily side-stepped the blast. Pink energy seared through the air which he dodged to the side of. Jinx raced erratically towards Cyborg, constantly weaving from side to side. Raven focused on Jinx when an erratic stream of electricity shot past her face. She quickly summoned a dark abjuration around her as she turned her focus to the bald midget hovering in the air and firing electricity at her. Jinx, untouched by Raven, shot forth her pink magic, striking Cyborg's leg. A wire connected to a power supply snapped, and the rubber insulation heated up from the incoming current. The power supply generated more electricity, and within seconds, exploded from overload. Bad luck, just the kind that Jinx specialized in. Cyborg soared through the air as the explosion blasted out his calf plate. He crashed into a now abandoned warehouse, landing on his back. He groaned lightly as he stood up from the debris and shook his head. He saw Jinx fall from the hole he'd created. She smirked lightly as she placed her hands on her hips. "Oh Cyborg, why do you insist on continuing this fight? I think we both know the outcome,"  
she said with a smirk, her hips swaying and forth with a grace he was not used to seeing from her.

He steadied his arm cannon at her. "Give it up Jinx, I'm not gonna go easy on you," he warned her, though he wasn't sure why. No villain should expect him to go easy on them.

To his surprise and irritation she giggled. A mischievous grin crossed her lips. "I didn't think you would Cyborg. I always suspected you liked it rough." Cyborg's eyes widened at her comment and growled, firing off his sonic cannon. Jinx laughed as she avoided the blast, running towards him in her erratic manner, pink energy pulsating from her hands.

_(Meanwhile)_

Beast Boy morphed into the shape of a grizzly as he slowly padded towards his target. Mammoth snorted as he lowered his body into a crouch, ready to strike at the shifter. Beast Boy lumbered forward, causing Mammoth to leap at him. The changeling shrunk down to a mouse, causing Mammoth to stumble over the green rodent. Beast Boy transformed into a green donkey, brought his hind legs up off the ground and struck Mammoth in the back with his hooves. Mammoth skipped across the ground and crashed against the vault door. Beast Boy shifted into a wolf as he slowly approached his enemy. He was breathing evenly, and it appeared that he was asleep. Beast Boy hopped up on the counter to get a better look when the giant sprung to life. He caught Beast Boy square across the snout. Beast Boy soared backwards, crashing into a stone pillar. Mammoth let out a laugh. "What's wrong Beast Dope, never seen a possum before?"

Beast Boy growled angrily as Mammoth charged him. He shifted himself into a stegosaurus, whipping his spiked tail into the charging brute. Mammoth caught the tail in his arms, sliding as the tail swept him to the side. He held fast to the tail as Beast Boy began to flail about trying to toss the villain off of him. Mammoth managed to hold on to the thrashing tail until he saw his window of opportunity. He leapt from the tail over Beast Boy, landing with his full weight on the dinosaur's head. Beast Boy reverted back into his human form, laid out on the ground. He let out a groan, looking up to see Mammoth holding a safe over his head. "Lights out Beast Brat."

Beast Boy rolled out of the way just in time to avoid the safe. He scurried away from his foe, putting some distance between them when he shifted into a tiger. He turned again to face his foe, breathing deeply as he circled around him. Mammoth let out a snort from his nose, eying the feline carefully. The two of them both took a moment to size up the situation and catch their breath. It was Beast Boy who took the first step, but soon the two of them where racing towards each other with ill intent for the other.

_(Meanwhile)_

Gizmo laughed maniacally as ten more of himself appeared around him. They all began to fly around Raven, distracting her from her target. She closed her eyes and concentrated. A black aura surrounded a nearby park bench and soared through the air, striking the midget in the back, causing him to tumble to the ground. "Why you scuz sniffing karm licker!"

Raven let a smirk cross her face. "Funny thing about holograms Gizmo. They don't have souls. Try harder next time." She turned to find Robin and see if he needed a hand with Private Hive, when she heard something from behind her. She turned to see Gizmo raised above her with his six metallic legs. His classic grin crossed his lips as two missiles launched from behind him. Raven brought up a shield to block one missile, but the other struck the ground nearby. The blast sent her backwards, crashing into a nearby bush. Her left leg was bleeding from wounds caused by pieces of concrete and metal casing. She gritted her teeth as she tried to move it. It didn't seem to be broken, but it was probably not a good idea to stress it. She began to float above the ground as she lifted a door off of the ground. She spoke in her cold unfeeling voice. "Now you're in trouble Gizmo."

_(Meanwhile)_

Cyborg swung his fist at Jinx as she closed in on him. She shot her hand forth sending a pink wave of magic. Cyborg sidestepped the blast, then reached out and snatched the young witch's wrist. A pair of handcuffs shot out from his wrist and attached to hers. He twisted her arm behind her back and snapped the other end over her other wrist. She looked over her shoulder at him with a smirk.

"Mmmmmm...Handcuffs. I didn't know you were into that type of thing Cyborg." Cyborg was taken by surprise at her comment and his grip on her wrist loosened. She took the opportunity to turn around and face her old flame. She felt the outline of his arm cannon press against her stomach.

"Not another step Jinx. You're going to jail."

Jinx let a small smile cross her lips. "Oh come off it Cyborg. We both know how this is going to end. I'm going to get away, but I'm going to get away empty handed. We both win, we both lose. It's not because we want to, but that's just how it happens. Now we've got some time to ourselves. So how do you want to spend it Stone? Do you want to fight, or do you want to have a little bit of fun?" She gave him a suggestive wink as she finished the question.

Cyborg hesitated, and before he knew what was happening, he felt the pink haired beauty press her soft lips up against his. Before he could think, his own lips were wrapped around hers, his tongue gently licking at her lips. _"Strawberries...they taste just like strawberries..."_ His mind was racing as they kissed. He regained his senses and pushed away from her, gasping for breath. "It's not gonna work Jinx. It just won't work between us."

She smiled playfully as she stepped forward boldly. "Why's that? Because you're a good guy and I'm a bad girl?" She moved her lips up to his again and spoke lightly. "Don't worry Stone. I don't want some big relationship or anything like that. I just want something to keep me warm at night. Figured you might appreciate this too." She again captured his lips between hers. He relaxed slightly, returning the kiss. Their tongues touched as they embraced, and Cyborg felt her hands gently stroke the sensitive skin on his neck. He opened his eyes wide as he saw his handcuffs lying on the ground behind her. She spoke softly into his ear. "I already told you, I don't want to fight. Just relax Cyborg." She again felt his arm cannon pressed against her stomach. She removed her arms from his neck and held them up in surrender. "Fine. You want it this way? Then pull the trigger." She stared at him with a neutral expression across her lips, but a sad forsaken look in her eyes.

He steadied his glare at her, his mind telling him all the reasons he should blast her right now, cuff her again, and take her off to jail. No matter how much he tried to convince himself though, he just couldn't. He replaced his cannon with his hand and wrapped his powerful arms around her waist, sweeping her up into his arms, kissing her passionately. This was wrong, and he knew it, but he couldn't help himself. Right now he wanted this just as much as she wanted it, and crime fighting be damned. He'd save the money, she'd get away. The passionate kiss was interrupted as Robin's voice buzzed in his ear. "Cyborg, how are you holding up? Everything has gone silent in there."

Jinx smirked lightly as she shot off a powerful hex at the wall. Cyborg smiled at her and nodded. He turned on his comm. "Dammit Robin! You gave away my position! Don't worry though, I got her right where I want her." He switched off his communicator as he resumed the passionate kiss.

Before long Jinx had her communicator go off as well. She stepped away from Cyborg and opened the device. Private Hive was ducked under a teller desk on the other side. "Status Report Soldier!"

Jinx rolled her eyes at the overanxious villain. "I'm fine Hive, I've got everything under control." She closed the communicator and wrapped her arms around Cyborg. It was an exciting experience. She was a villain because she loved the thrill of the fight, and she just didn't like playing the good little girl. She had to admit though; the strong hero holding her was making a damn good case for it.

After a minute the two of them broke their embrace. They were both breathing heavily, Cyborg still had his arms wrapped around her back, and Jinx was now resting her head against his metal chest. She was the first to speak. "Y'know, we never did kick you out of the Hive graduates. If you want to you could..."

Cyborg cut her off. "I know Jinx, but I can't. I'm doing what I need to be doing. I won't say I don't have my second thoughts about it, but I'm not going to turn my back on my friends." She looked up to him with a look of sadness. She nodded her head in understanding before resting it against his chest plate again. After a minute Cyborg broke the silence again.

"You know, you could join the good guys." He said quietly. She looked up to him with a slight smirk on her face.

"You really think anyone would ever trust me after what I've done?"

"I would. Hell, I trusted you not to kill me just now." He smiled lightly at her.

She bit her lip lightly and turned her head away from him again. "I guess I can't turn my back on my friends either. Not that you don't tempt me Cyborg." She rested her head against his chest again. Cyborg tucked her head under his chin protectively. Something told him there was more to her than she wanted to let on.

_(Meanwhile)_

Raven floated in the air, avoiding the numerous attacks that Gizmo was sending her way, while trying to fend him off with what ever she could find to use against him. The midget mechanic dodged a flying piece of concrete, as he fired off a sonic cannon at her. The blast struck her right shoulder causing her to fall to the road below her. Gizmo smirked as he shot off a few canisters at the fallen hero. Green gas erupted from the grenades, causing Raven to choke. Gizmo cackled manically and then yelled out. "Mammoth, I've got a scum sucking Titan all teed up for you. Come knock her out of the park!"

Mammoth tossed Beast Boy off of him as he began to charge forward. Robin turned to attack Mammoth, but Private Hive jumped between them. Starfire turned her back to See-More and was soon encased in his blue eye. Which left Beast Boy, who was already morphed into a Cheetah, racing towards the brute. He knew he wouldn't be able to slow down Mammoth enough to save Raven, so he did the one thing he knew he could. He raced past Mammoth at a blinding speed and shifted into stegosaurus and lowered himself on his stomach, ready to take whatever Mammoth would dish out. He closed his eyes and waited for the blow, but it never came. He opened his eyes to see a large spire of rock jutting up out of the ground, encased with a dim yellow light. He morphed back into his human form and spoke softly. "Terra..."

Robin's eyes widened as he saw what had taken place. It was he alone that saw the figure watching from afar take off into the city park. He quickly leapt forward from the bank, using the spire of rock as a foot hold for his next leap towards the park. He yelled into his comm "Titans, take care of the Hive Five!" He cut the comm and continued chasing the flying chunk of stone. "Terra! Stop!" As he ran, the ground rose around him trying to seal him off. He leapt through the narrow maze barely escaping entrapment until he found himself surrounded by stone. "Terra!" He gasped as he looked at the wall before him.

A groove began to form on the stone taking the shape of writing. _"Robin, I didn't want you to know I was here."_ Robin was impressed, Terra seemed to have an even heightened control over her powers.

"Terra, where are you?"

_"I don't want to be seen. I don't deserve to be seen by you."_

"We've forgiven you Terra, we did along time ago." There was a long pause, and Robin could swear he heard crying in the background.

_"I'm sorry Robin, I still haven't forgiven myself."_

Robin blinked as he read the words. The walls disappeared, and he was alone in the park. He pulled out his communicator. "Titans, Report."

Cyborg chimed in over the frequency. "The Hive Five got away, but they got away empty handed."

Robin growled lightly. "Alright, Rendezvous at the Tower, Robin out."

_(Titan's Tower 2:00 PM)_

Cyborg pounded his fist against the punching bag in front of him. He'd been blowing off steam this way for a good twenty minutes when he noticed Robin watching him. He stopped his workout and turned to the boy wonder. "Can I help you Robin?"

Robin punched in a code on the wall interface, shutting the door behind him. He narrowed his eyes as he approached Cyborg. "What happened between you and Jinx today?"

Cyborg blinked in surprise. He hadn't been expecting that. "Well let's see, I think she blew out on of my power cells in my legs which caused me to crash into the factory. She closed in on me and the fight got up close. I managed to take cover, and I had her dead to rights but you..."

"Bullshit," Robin interrupted Cyborg's explanation.

Cyborg growled lightly. "What'd you say Robin?"

"I said that's bullshit." He walked forward and wiped his index finger across Cyborg's lips. Cyborg stepped back quickly as Robin sniffed his fingers. He looked at Cyborg with a menacing glare. "Since when do you wear strawberry lip gloss Cyborg?"

Cyborg snarled lightly. "That's none of your god damn business Robin." He turned away from him and slammed his fist against the punching bag hard.

Robin gritted his teeth. "Not my business? This is entirely my business. I can't have one of my team take time out of the fight to make out with a girl he's supposed to be capturing. You should never have gotten mixed up with her."

Cyborg turned an angry eye to Robin. "Now I know I'm not getting relationship advice from you."

Robin grinded his teeth together. "What is that supposed to mean Cyborg?"

"It means just what you think it means. You've got a time bomb on your hands and far as I see, you plan to just wait until it goes off. If I were you I'd be worrying about your own problems before you came to fix mine. I guess it's easier for you to get on others case though. Means you don't got to do anything, am I right?"

Robin snarled at his friend. Cyborg had pushed his buttons perfectly. "I'm dealing with the situation. It's nothing like what we have with you."

Cyborg huffed as he crossed his arms across his chest. "No. You've been dealing with Slade. The girls are ready to kill each other for you, and your plan is to wait for one to get tired and then you'll date the one that outlasts the other. Except that's not happening. They both want you, though I have no idea why, since you treat them both like crap. Neither of them are gonna back down, and this won't end until the team's torn apart, and the team _will_ fall apart if you ignore this."

Robin turned his back on Cyborg. "I'll work on it then Cyborg. In the meantime, I want you to be dealing with Gizmo when he fight the Hive Five. Raven's better suited to fight Jinx anyways, and I know she won't get hot and heavy with her." The boy wonder moved to open the door.

Cyborg smirked mischievously. "Fine by me. Mind if I invite her over for movie night tomorrow? Since you're taking away our alone time."

Robin stopped and turned around to see the smirk on Cyborg's face. He growled at him. "Not funny Cyborg."

Cyborg watched as their spiky haired leader left the room, leaving him to sit against the wall and think. The memory of her lips against his brought about a warmth in his body that put a smile on his face. He lets a sigh escape his lips. _"Whatever happens, it's not going to be easy."_

_(Beast Boy's Room 6:00 AM the next day)_

Beast Boy was fast asleep, arms wrapped around his pillow. His head was filled with dreams of Raven and him embracing in a lush green field. A smile adorned his lips as he hugged his pillow tighter. As he slept, a figure appeared outside his window. A yellow glow appeared in Beast Boy's shoes as two pebbles floated out from them. The stones moved towards the door, positioning themselves around the latch. With a quick rotation, the lock snapped open, and Terra opened the door from the outside. In one hand she held a stone tablet. Yellow energy flowed across the tablet as writing appeared. She set the tablet down on Beast Boy's night stand. A draft blew into the room causing Beast Boy to shiver in his sleep. Terra looked over to him with a soft smile as she pulled the sheets up over his shoulders. She turned away from him slowly and made her way to the door, when the voice she missed for so long cut the silence. "Terra?"

She gasped lightly, caught off guard. She sprinted out of the room and onto the rock floating outside his room. She didn't want to be seen, not yet at least. She was still working through her own issues. Beast Boy tore out of bed after her, shifting into an eagle and following her. He flapped his wings as hard as he could, trying to catch her, but he soon realized he was unable to catch her. A thought crossed his mind, and it wasn't until he acted that he stopped to consider the consequences. He was no longer an eagle; he was just himself, a green skinned human. He shouted to her. "TERRA!" as he began to plummet towards the ocean.

Terra turned her head and beheld the sight before her in horror. She flipped the rock around, moving as fast as she could to catch her friend before he fell to his death. Beast Boy held his arms and legs out, slowing his fall. He found himself in Terra's arms as she swooped by. "Beast Boy! What were you thinking! You could've been killed!"

Beast Boy placed his hand on her shoulder. "I knew you'd catch me Terra. It was the only way I could get you to stop." He wrapped his arms around her back and hugged her. She carefully set him down on the rock and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I've missed you Terra. Was beginning to think we'd never find a way to save you."

Terra smiled as she closed her eyes. He had barely changed at all. He looked the same, his voice sounded the same, he even smelled the same. She tightened her grip on his neck. This was what she wanted; this was what she had missed. Her mind turned back to the last time she'd see him. She began to cry, her head buried into his shoulder. He gently rubbed her back as she cried. "How could you ever forgive me Beast Boy?" She cried out between sobs.

Beast Boy had a sad look on his face, as he gently rubbed her back. He'd been expecting that from her, but she hadn't been expecting his words. "Me forgive you? How could you ever forgive me Terra?"

She jerked her head up looking at him through her tear stained face. "Me forgive you? It was me who betrayed you for Slade, it was me who tried to kill your friends, and it was me who tried to kill you."

He nodded slowly as he closed his eyes. "I turned my back on you Terra. I turned my back on you when you were asking for help. When you needed me the most I abandoned you. I've never forgiven myself for that Terra, and I'm so sorry for it. If you can forgive me for that, there's no reason any of us can't forgive you for what you did."

"Of course I forgive you Beast Boy. I've missed you so much." She finally smiled, still crying into his shoulders. Her arms wrapped around his back tightly.

Beast Boy smiled as well, glad to have eased his friend's pain. He spoke softly. "How'd you come back Terra? What happened?"

She looked at him with a smile and shrugged. "I'm not really sure. There was a white light, and I felt like Raven was inside of me, and then suddenly, I was like this again."

Beast Boy smiled brightly. "Must've been when Raven saved the world. Everyone else in the world had been turned to stone, and she healed all of them. She must've been able to heal you too."

"And now I'm back. Being trapped in stone gave me a lot of time to think Beast Boy. It gave me time to hone my powers, and it gave me time to think, but all I could think about was how much I missed the time we spent together. I wandered for most of my life, trying to just get by. Then I met you, and for the first time ever I was happy Beast Boy. Do you have any idea what that means to me. While I was trapped Beast Boy, I wanted to get out, and I swore to myself when I did, I'd be true to myself. Beast Boy, what I'm trying to say is, I love you. I never want to be separated from you like that again."

Beast Boy held her tightly. He felt his heart being torn in two directions. It would be so easy for him to tell her that he felt the same way. He would have someone to care for, and to care for him. He'd be happy too, which was something he hadn't been in a long time. He'd also be lying though, and eventually, he'd end up hurting Terra, far more than he could hurt her now. He couldn't do that to her. She was his friend; she'd been the one who'd understood him before. It was his turn to cry. "I wish I could tell you how much I love you Terra, but I can't. I don't have those feelings for you anymore. I'm...I'm sorry Terra."

Terra clung to Beast Boy, her face once again buried within Beast Boy's shoulder. She'd spent so many days yearning for Beast Boy's love, she'd never even considered that he didn't share her feelings. That he'd moved on. She felt his grip on her tighten, her hair becoming damp from his tears. _"Why is he crying?"_ she thought to herself.

"Please come back to the Titans Terra." Beast Boy spoke through his tears. He sounded desperate as he spoke.

Terra turned her head away from his. Her voice was distant. "Why Beast Boy. What's left for me there?"

"Terra, I can't tell you I feel the same way for you that you feel for me. But I have missed you. Terra, you're the best friend I've ever had. So please, come back to us. Come back to me."

She looked into his pleading eyes, and knew instantly that she couldn't say no to him. She closed her eyes and pulled close to him. He was her foundation, even though her relationship with him seemed waning. She spoke softly. "Come on Beast Boy. Let's go home."

**To be continued…**

Review Replies:

**Kali Donovan: **Well, I was only doing a review reply for the people who reviewed the second chapter. Sorry about that. Anyways, thanks for the compliments, and the random links I think were me somehow adding in accidental html tags.

**Payie: ** Hope you continue to enjoy my story.

**Cutevballer18: **Here's the update you requested.

**Sillymail: ** Thanks for the compliment

**Beeny: **That has been something I've been struggling with, keeping all the characters in the same vein as there character on the show while adding an extra depth to them. You'll just have to wait with everyone else to see what pairings will emerge.

**Phantom Moon: **I think that's a safe bet. That brings up a big question, why doesn't everyone else have her powers.

**Aerinsoul: **I really like Beast Boy, especially since he gets such a bum rap in all the episodes. Relegated to being the comic relief. Anyways, I'm not going to be playing favorites with pairings, at least I'm trying not to.

Thanks for all the support. If you made it this far, please leave a review letting me know what you think.


	5. What Darkness Lies in the Heart of Man?

Sorry it's been so long since I've updated. Between college and work, things have been rather busy. Also had a lot of struggles writing some of this. It's a bit disjointed, but hopefully you can understand why. I spend a lot of time trying to hammer out some of the feelings of different characters, as well as spend a lot of time introducing my own character to the mix.

Also, looking for some critical people who are willing to discuss writing with me still. I try to surround myself with talent to bring up the quality of my writing. If you're interested in helping in the writing process contact me at:

Email: kodra22 (at symbol) gmail (dot) com

AIM: kodra22

I don't mind being contacted, so don't hesitate.

Anyways, on to the story.

**Epilogue**

**Chapter 4: What darkness lies in the hearts of man?**

The sound of rain landing against a thin tin roof permeated the dark alley, only marred by the sound of metal sliding against metal. A man stood with his back against the wall, letting the rain fall on him as he loaded a gun. His face was hidden by his wet scraggly hair, except for the maniacal grin he wore on his lips. As he holstered the sidearm, he looked up to the moon. The face was not that of a man, but that of a boy, not even old enough to drink. He wore a long open overcoat over a chest piece of Kevlar armor. He blinked as the rain beat against his face. _"Perfect atmosphere. Just as the rain cleans away dirt, so must I cleanse this world." _An engine roared down the street as it shifted gears. The boy drew a pistol from his coat as he languidly moved to the mouth of the alley. He spotted the cyclist from a distance, and drew a bead on him with his gun. A second passed before he proceeded to unload his clip at the biker. One bullet struck the front wheel sending it end over end. The passenger reacted quickly rolling behind a parked car near where his bike crashed. Johnny Rancid swore from behind the car. Someone was looking for a fight, and he was going to show them why messing with him was a bad idea.

Johnny drew his two energy pistols and began to fire blindly in the direction of the gun fire. The blasts were effective in forcing the would-be assassin into cover, where he slid a fresh clip into his pistol. He pulled another nine millimeter from his coat and raced across the sidewalk, ducking behind a mailbox for cover. Rancid stood up from behind his cover and fired off two shots at the mailbox, reducing it to ash. From the smoke, the boy charged forward. Rancid fired off a wild shot which the boy easily avoided. Two shots from his sidearm, and the fight was over. Rancid stumbled back against the brick wall behind him, blood oozing out his back and smearing against the wall as he slid onto his rear. His vision began to fade as he saw his assailant for the first time. He was holding a revolver in one hand and a bullet in his other. The boy displayed the bullet in front of Rancid's face. "This bullet's got your name on it Rancid." He could see some scratched out letters, but he couldn't make out the writing. Not that it mattered; the kid had made his point. He heard the chamber of the six shooter snap into place.

Johnny had a smug grin on his face as he spoke. "Go on kid, finish the-" The gunshot rang throughout the block. The bullet found its mark between the eyes of the thug. The boy's dour expression widened into a maniacal smile. He turned his back on the corpse and moved back into the alley he came from. His crusade had begun.

_(4:00 A.M. Titans Tower)_

The klaxon blared throughout the tower, drawing the six superheroes out of their slumber. Robin made it to the terminal first, and quickly accepted the incoming message. However, instead of the normal coordinates and symbol they usually received, an image of the chief detective appeared on the screen instead. Robin raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Sergeant Terrence, what's going on?"

The Sergeant looked very down trodden as he spoke across the communicator. "We had a murder down in the warehouse district tonight. Pretty brutal, looks like a mob hit or something. Maybe the Columbians, hard to tell."

Robin listened intently to the detective before interrupting. "Umm, excuse me, but this sounds like something more in your jurisdiction. How does this apply to us?"

The detective frowned. "The body is in your jurisdiction though. Johnny Rancid, shot to hell. Any idea of who would want to kill him?"

Robin's eyes widened at the news. Johnny may have been a two bit super villain, but he was still a super villain. He wouldn't have gone down easy. "How'd he die? Did he put up a fight?"

"Wasn't quick and easy by any means. From what I can tell the assailants shot out his bike, and then there was a big ugly standoff, and it ended with Johnny as a corpse. You want the information I've got?"

Robin sighed as he sat down in his chair. So many thoughts were rushing through his head. "Yeah, fax it through. Thanks Louis." He rubbed his temples in frustration as the rest of the team filtered into the room. The files transferred over into a printout.

"You want this case Robin? I don't mind handing it over if it's bothering you this much."

Robin looked up from his seat and nodded sadly. "Yeah, I'll take the-"

"He's got more important things to be worrying about at this point." Cyborg interrupted Robin. Robin turned around and glared menacingly at Cyborg. "Listen Detective, keep us up to date on this, and if we find anything out, you'll be the first one we call."

The detective appeared shocked at Cyborg's words. Cyborg pressed a button on his arm cutting off the transmission as he stared down Robin. The Boy Wonder was shaking with rage as he balled his fists. "And what, may I ask, gave you right to decide what I do or don't do Cyborg?"

Cyborg glanced over his shoulder at the two girls standing next to each other, both surprised at the exchange. He looked back to Robin. "You better start acting like a leader Robin. You have more important things to do than follow up a case that rightly belongs to the Police. You just seem to be dragging your feet."

There was an awkward silence. Cyborg had voiced the feelings everyone else had been too scared to share, but everyone knew what he was talking about. Robin pushed his way past Cyborg, brushing against him as he did. "I told you I was working on it. You had no right to pull rank on me."

Cyborg narrowed his eyes at Robin, and then turned his way back to the printout on the printer. He collected the papers and placed them into a file. "Alright Titans, back to bed. We all need to be rested up for tomorrow."

_(Elsewhere)_

Alexander Graham sat in his chair, hands folded under his chin. The monitor in front of him was the only light in the dark room. The desk he was working at was strewn with handguns and stacks of cash. The monitor's screen was cluttered with articles as a search sequence ran in the background. He closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair, a smile crossed his lips as he remembered the look in Rancid's eyes right before he died. He paid for his sins. They all would pay, until the world was clean of their filth again. A single .50 caliber round sat upright in front of him. He opened his eyes and picked it up. Scrawled on it was the name "Red X". He set the bullet back down and smiled. He needed to get some sleep; tomorrow was going to be another exciting day.

_(9:00 A.M. Titans Tower)_

Terra woke up as the sun's light filled her room. A week had passed since the Titan's had welcomed her into their home again, and this time she intended to stay there as long as she could. She quickly grabbed her shower supplies and headed out of her room to the bathroom she shared with Raven and Starfire. She passed the energetic Tamaranian on her way, and was greeted with her powerful hugs. Terra smiled in spite of her discomfort. She was definitely glad to be treated like a friend again. As she moved past the cheery teen, her own mood darkened. There was one Titan she wished she could've been more than just friends with.

Beast Boy had captured her heart so long ago and now she was feeling so rejected. She stepped into the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She leaned her back against the wall. It had been his kindness and acceptance that had attracted her to him in the first place. It had been his friendship with her that had caused her to develop these feelings. His friendship is what she valued more than anything right? It was hard to convince herself of that. She had longed for his touch so much in her prison, her dreams of him had been the hope that had kept her going. She had built herself upon that and now she felt as though she was free falling through life.

As she stripped out of her clothes, her mind shifted to the week that she'd spent. Beast Boy had made an extra effort to welcome her, and she had to admit, just being around him made her feel euphoric. He was so bright and warm to her, things felt like they did when she first met him. But it wasn't back then, and whenever Raven was around she knew it. Beast Boy changed in her presence. He wasn't the carefree joker, the bright exuberant boy he was other times. He became quiet and reserved. It hurt him, because he loved her, and she didn't even seem to notice him. Terra closed her eyes as she felt the warm water rush over her. She didn't know how long she could stand to watch Beast Boy suffer. She leaned back against the shower wall and hung her head. Not that she could do anything about it. He confused her a week ago. All his motions seemed to say that he'd been missing her, that he'd been yearning for her. Now she knew why; he'd been subjugating himself to this love of his.

She ran the rag over her skin as she cried lightly. She knew she could make him happy, he knew she could make him happy, and he wouldn't go along with it. He wouldn't go along with a lie like that. It was a level of maturity she didn't realize Beast Boy had, and right now it was beating her down. She finished washing up and turned off the shower. She quickly dried herself off and wrapped her towel around her. She proceeded to brush her teeth and hair before retreating back to her new room. She quickly dressed herself in her standard black tee shirt and yellow shorts. She opened the window and let the breeze run over her skin. No more depression, no more self doubts. She was in the company of her best friends, and she wasn't going to let herself be depressed. It was a brand new day.

_(Meanwhile)_

Cyborg sat in front of his desk as his face fell onto the files strewn before him. He had opted to see what he could figure out about the murder that had woken them up the other night, but he wasn't getting anywhere with it. To top it off, he felt drained now, both his robot and human half required rest and sustenance, and his mind was just about cracked. From what he could determine, whoever the killer was, they were good. Possibly a professional, but that didn't make sense because Rancid was pretty small time. He wouldn't know how to piss off someone enough to warrant this type of action. It's possible that a rogue element was involved, but that wasn't reassuring either, because there was obviously a struggle, and if a rogue managed to defeat someone like Johnny, it meant they did have an issue on their hand.

He decided to shelve his investigation for awhile. Hopefully new information would arise and that would give him enough of a lead to follow. In the meantime the important issue would be keeping Robin off the subject. The leader was still waffling on the issue of Starfire and Raven, and Cyborg had already decided that if he hadn't progressed after ten days, he would be relieving the boy wonder from his post. Something had to happen or things would just fall apart. Cyborg knew all to well the pains that those emotions could cause.

He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. When he did, he could feel the touch of her fingers on his arms, the scent of her hair. The texture of her lips against his. The weight of her body pressed against his. He sighed as he opened his eyes. _"It's just a pipedream Cyborg. Might as well get the thought out of your head."_Try as he might though, he couldn't. There were so many things that made it wrong, he was good, she was bad, she was human, and he was only half. He knew that getting emotionally attached to a girl like her would only end up hurting him. So why did everything feel so right. He sighed as he stood up from the desk. _"Maybe a recharge will do me good."_

He moved over to the recharging unit and plugged himself in, his human self fell fast into a deep slumber, where visions of himself and a pink haired villain danced about in his mind.

_(6:00 P.M. Elsewhere)_

Alex Graham slowly opened his eyes. He was still seated in front of his computer, a map of the east side and a chemistry demonstration cluttered his desktop. He leaned forward and studied the map again, to make sure there would be no mistakes. He leisurely stood up from his seat and moved over to a work bench where a metal case sat along with his arsenal of weaponry. He opened the case and pulled out an unlabeled aerosol can. He then began to spray a blue mist all across his body, coating his clothes with it. He proceeded to coat his entire stash of weaponry in it too as he began to equip himself. Two pistols, two sawed off shotguns, two sub machine guns, four grenades, a combat knife and ammunition for all his weapons. And of course his magnum revolver and a bullet with the name "Red X" inscribed on it. Tonight he was traveling light.

He drew a cigarette from a pack and lit it up with his Zippo. He took a long drag and then exhaled the smoke. He smirked lightly at his thoughts. _"They say these things will kill ya. Won't live to see sixty they say. I'll be dead before I turn twenty five if I have anything to say about it." _He took another long drag off the cigarette before tossing it aside. He needed to be sharp right now. There was killing to be done.

_(9:00 P.M. Titans Tower)_

Robin slumped down onto the couch wearily as he turned on the news. He groaned lightly as he moved his arm to use the remote. He had pushed himself hard in training that day, probably too hard. Terra was a lot more powerful than she was when he last fought her. Now he wasn't sure he could beat her if she turned out to be tricking them. He shook his head at the thought. She wasn't going to betray them this time, and if she did, he'd find a way to beat her. That's what he did; find a way to win against anyone. Something he picked up from his mentor. He closed his eyes trying to relax. Another thing he picked up from Bruce was his way with women, or lack thereof. He spent the better half of the day sitting in his room trying to figure out what he was going to do. _"Maybe that's the problem. I'm treating this like a case I would solve,"_ he thought to himself.

At that moment Starfire moved into the room, wearing an overly cheery expression. She saw Robin sprawled out along the couch and frowned lightly. "Robin, what seems to be wrong?"

Robin bent his head back over the couch to look at Starfire. "I had a rough day of training. Terra has progressed a long way since we last saw her. Right now I just feel like relaxing a bit." He leaned his head forward again, his eyes staring off into space.

Starfire moved forward towards the couch and reached over the back of it and placed her hands on his shoulder. One thing she had learned on Tamaran was how to properly relax the muscles of a warrior after battle. She just hoped humans had a similar muscular structure to her kin. Her fingers pressed hard into his flesh, causing Robin to gasp in pain. "Starfire!" She shushed him as her fingers began to move across his muscles expertly, causing them to quickly relax. Robin was soon leaning forward, giving her access to more of his back. "Oh…Starfire…that feels great," Robin spoke softly as he felt his soreness fading away.

As fates would have it, Raven was passing through the hall when she heard Robin's voice. Her eyes widened as many different possible scenarios ran through her mind. She quietly floated to the mouth of the room and peeked her head around the corner. She witnessed her rival caressing Robin and felt like screaming. She quickly composed herself, and begun to plot a way to break this up. Her plan came to a sudden crash when she saw Robin's face. He looked so happy at that moment. She closed her eyes and looked away. She couldn't bring herself to interrupt this.

Robin let out a soft sigh, his mind was racing as he felt the Tamaranian princess' fingers press deeper into his muscles. He took a deep breath and inhaled her sweet scent. His mind began to cloud a bit as he felt his body continue to relax. _"Was this what it meant to be in love?" _he wondered. He dwelled on the thought for a few minute before doing quite possibly the rashest thing he'd ever done. He turned his body around so he was looking up into Starfire's face, and without hesitation pressed his lips against hers.

Starfire pulled back slightly, before she realized exactly what was happening and returned his unexpected kiss. It was everything she imagined it would be and more, as she soon lost herself in the experience.

Raven closed her eyes and rushed off, feeling as though a knife had penetrated her heart. She quickly made her way to the top of the tower where she meditated, but she couldn't meditate now. Not with her heart like this. It was taking every ounce of her effort to keep from tearing the tower apart as her emotions surged through her.

Robin opened his eyes in time to see Raven's quickly retreating form, and quickly realized what she must think. He pulled away from the kiss and held his forehead in his hands. _"What on earth was I thinking? That has to be the dumbest thing you've ever done Robin!" _ Starfire looked at him curiously and tilted her head to the side. "Robin, what is wrong? What does this mean? Are we know 'dating'?"

He breathed in long deep breaths. He closed his eyes again, realizing exactly what Starfire must've thought. "No. Yes," he sighed in frustration. "I don't know Starfire. That was rash of me."

Starfire bit her lip lightly as she looked down to the ground. "Robin, I am confused. What does this mean then?"

Robin let out an exasperated sigh. "I don't know Starfire. I'm confused too. Listen, I need to go sort things out." He stood up and turned to the door. "I'm sorry Starfire. I wish I didn't have to put you through this." He raced out of the room, hoping to catch Raven before she did anything drastic.

Robin burst through the door to the roof. Raven wavered unsteadily as she floated in the air. She kept her head bowed as she spoke. "What do you want?" she asked icily.

Robin slowly moved over to her. "I wanted to talk to you Raven," Robin explained with a gentle voice.

"What's there to explain? I saw you kiss her with my own eyes. I've always known that there was a good chance you'd chose her, but I opened my heart to you anyways. I was foolish. You've nothing to explain."

He sighed lightly. It wasn't until this moment that he realized that if he wanted to, he could just go along with this. He may not have meant to, but now he could simply choose Starfire. He knew he wouldn't though. He wasn't going to settle for the easy way out this time. He wanted to be sure that he was making the right decision. "It's not what it looked like Raven. I haven't decided anything."

"You looked pretty confident of yourself back there."

Her sarcasm was back in full force. It was one of her defense mechanisms against getting those who would try to get close. He slowly moved across the roof and placed his hand on her shoulder. Dark energy gripped at his wrist. "Raven, look at me."

She lowered her defenses, and slowly turned around to face him. She couldn't bring her eyes up to his though. She couldn't bear the pain. She felt his finger under her chin tilting her face up. Her eyes looked to the side. She couldn't look him in the eyes, until she felt his soft lips pressed against hers. She went from the lowest of lows, to the highest of highs, within a moment. It was everything she dreamt it would be. She returned the kiss with a fiery passion, his lips salty from the tears now flowing down her face. As Raven's emotions surged, her powers ran wild, surrounding the entire tower with her black energy. Neither of them noticed until it was too late.

_(Meanwhile in Cyborg's room)_

Beast Boy and Cyborg were playing Mega Monkey when the dark energy covered the window like a sheet. Cyborg stopped playing the game when he noticed the anomaly. "Ummm, what's going on?"

Beast Boy had already noticed the surging emotions of the sorceress, and instead of answering his friend, he began to focus his mind on the confused girl. His eyes glowed black as he struggled to rein in her powers. The black wall pulsed out away from the tower. He gritted his teeth as he forced all of his mental energies against the barrier, dispelling it completely. The dark glow in his eyes disappeared as he collapsed to the ground in exhaustion.

"Yo! Beast Boy! What just happened?" Cyborg stood over the changeling, offering him his robotic hand. Beast Boy let out a groan as he held his head with one hand, and accepted Cyborg's with his other.

"Dude, promise me that you will not tell anyone about this," Beast Boy demanded as he stood up.

Cyborg was very confused. "What are you talking about Bee-Bee?"

Beast Boy plead with his friend. "Please Cyborg, just promise me."

Cyborg nodded. "Alright, I promise. Care to fill me in on what's all been going on with you lately. You haven't been yourself."

Beast Boy nodded slowly. "It all started when Raven met Malchior…"

_(Meanwhile on the roof of PlasmaTech)_

Alex plucked the butt of a cigarette from his lips and tossed it aside. He wore a black long sleeved tee-shirt and black cargo pants. All seven weapons were easily accessible and on his face he had his infrared goggles for his target's cloaking abilities. Idly he noted the odd occurrence happening over at Titan's Tower. _"Must be something going on with Robin, Raven and Starfire. Probably a lot of chaos over there. Might be a good time to strike. Maybe if I have enough ammunition after this fight." _His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a figure leaping from rooftop to rooftop. That sick sadistic smile crossed his lips as he drew out his two pistols. He fired a volley of six bullets at the thief in mid-air.

Red X was blindsided as he felt searing pain rip through his left leg. He stumbled as he landed on the roof, rolling behind an air duct. He gritted his teeth as he planned his next move. _"Dammit, must be some security I didn't know about. Better take him down quick before he alerts his buddies" _Red X pushed himself up and fired off three of his Xs, only to watch dumbfounded as they dissolved against the assassin's clothing.

Alex leveled his gun at Red X and fired again, this time, one of his bullets scraping off of his shoulder. The thief dropped back down behind the air vent. Alex began to move towards the air vent, replacing his pistols and drawing his submachine guns. "Might as well just surrender X. Everyone's gotta die sometime, and tonight's your night. Make it easy on yourself."

Red X quickly realized this was not a fight he wanted to continue. Risk was not worth the reward. He activated the cloaking device and made a mad dash towards the roof.

Unfortunately for Red X, the infrared goggles gave him away to Alex, who fired a barrage of bullets at the fleeing villain. A bullet struck him in the foot as he leapt down the side of the building. Alex swore loudly as he raced forward. A duffle bag of supplies was laid out on the roof. He grabbed a length of rope from his and a carabiner. He attached the carabiner to his belt and quickly tied the rope around a pipe. He was probably already dead from falling from the five story building, but he had to make sure.

Red X was breathing in heavy breaths of air as he pressed himself against a window. His mind pushed the pain from his mind. Besides, he'd been worse off before. That'd been along time ago though. He gritted his teeth as he saw the rope drop down in front of him. He reached down and pulled a switchblade knife from his boot. He flicked the knife open, still tinted red from blood. He closed his eyes as memories flooded back to him. _"How'd it ever come to this?"_ He shook his head as he heard the sound of boots hitting the wall above him. _"You know how to do this X. It's just like riding a bike. You never forget how to kill a man, no matter how hard you try." _ He crouched down on the ledge and clutched the blade. He saw a few pebbles fall as Alex repelled off of wall right above him. Alex grew wide-eyed as he saw the thief and drew his pistol with his hand. A few seconds too late, as X leapt up with all his might, and expertly slashed with his knife.

Red X dangled from the rope he'd just cut. _"Couldn't do it. Couldn't even kill a man when my life was on the line. Have I become that pampered that I can't stand to get blood on my hands anymore?"_

Alex on the other hand, saw the approaching pavement as he plummeted to his death. He noticed an open dumpster filled with trash about twenty feet to the right. _"Only get one shot, better make it count." _ He aimed his gun to the side and fired, the reaction propelling his body into the trash. He groaned from the dumpster. The fall might not have killed him, but it left him with a dislocated arm and gimp leg. Good thing he knew a doctor that would fix him up for the wad of bills he kept on him. He just had to make it there before he died.

_(Meanwhile in Robin's room)_

Robin sat on his bed and hung his head. He'd successfully hurt and confused the two girls who where chasing after him, and he'd found out nothing other than Starfire wore strawberry lip gloss and Raven wore blueberry. He flopped back onto his bed. He needed a new approach to this. Maybe some time away would help him. He shook his head at the thought. He couldn't afford any vacation time right now. He closed his eyes and sighed in frustration. This was proving to be more complicated and dangerous than any villain they'd ever faced. Could the Teen Titans be broken from the inside?

_(An hour later, John Maxwell's flat)_

"Shit Alex, you gotta be more careful." John Maxwell, a balding white middle aged man, was standing over Alex Graham, who was laid out on his kitchen table. The look on the young warriors face was cold. No evil smirk, no amiable smile. He let that bastard get away, and now he might be out of commission for a bit. "What happened out there Alex?"

Alex looked over to John. The old man did good work for the amount he asked for, but that was probably because he was a bit sympathetic to Alex. He lost his firm when a bunch of supers duked it out, never really bounced back from that. "I lost X. He had a low-tech alternative I wasn't aware of. Next time I meet him, I'll be more prepared."

John continued to treat his injuries as he spoke. "Be careful Alex. He's seen you fight. He'll be better prepared for you next time." He pulled on his arm, eliciting a grunt of pain from the assassin.

"I'll keep that in mind doc. Don't worry, the next one shouldn't be that much of a problem. She's not much of a threat if I neutralize her powers." He said quietly.

"Remember inertia Alex. She can toss items at her. Removing her control from an item about to crush you still means it crushes you. Don't want to see you coming in like this in a week." The doctor said as he handed him his shirt. Alex tossed the tee on and shakily moved off the table.

"Thanks doc. Don't worry, I'll get those bastards for you." Alex said as he made his way out the door.

John Maxwell shook his head lightly. "Thanks Alex. Never lose sight of the goal. It's a noble one." Alex let a smirk cross his lips. Noble? Hardly. Killing every superhuman character that lived was hardly noble. It was probably pure evil to most people. But in the end it was the only way to save this world. And he was more than willing to take on all the evils necessary to accomplish this task.

**To Be Continued…**

Review Replies:

**Payie: **Don't worry, answers are coming…eventually

**Dark Phantom: **Well, love's generally not quite as straightforward as TV would have us believe.

**Neko 1392: **I try to make sensible decisions for most of my characters, using knowledge I have gathered from watching the show. Especially in The End, it seemed like both Raven and Starfire were quite enamored with Robin. Thus this fic.

**WickedWitchoftheSE: **Even more trouble a brewin' now.

**Kali Donovan: **I'm sorry it took so long to update. Hopefully with the new season starting, you'll find inspiration to write some more. I know I have some new insight Beast Boy, which will probably make it's way into the fic.

**Raven42431: **Here's that update.

Please leave a review. Let's me know this work actually gets read. Also, if you have any gripes as you read this fic, please let me know. If it's a flame about pairings (which I can't imagine since there are none yet) if you want to sit down and have a civilized discussion about pairings, you have my AIM SN. I'd love to chat about them. If you just want to bitch about your favorite pairing not showing up, I reserve the right to mock you in my review reply. Thankfully though, this hasn't happened yet. Anyways, thanks for reading.

Kodra


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